Ghost of Memories Past
by LitLover 101
Summary: Spoilers for S1 of Legacies. When Hope Mikaelson jumped into Malivore, she forgot that she would be leaving someone behind: the ghost of her father, Klaus Mikaelson. While everyone who cares for Hope forgets her; Klaus can not. And when Klaus wants to send a message to Hope's nearest and dearest, well, good luck to them…
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, my lovely readers. I wanted to write this fic since the S1 finale and so here is the beginning. Hope you like it. On with the show…**

Part I: In the Back of My Mind

Monday. Usually Mondays at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted did not bother Landon Kirby. He'd been with the boarding school for a little over a year. It beat the local high school and the abuse he'd had to put up with there, on a daily basis. Hell, Landon even had a tight-knit group of friends, and his brother, Rafael was here. Nothing felt usual about this Monday. 'Til someone pushed him down the stairs.

"Ow!" Landon cried. He rubbed his forehead. It had slammed into the wooden floor._ Didn't there used to be a carpet there? _Landon wondered idly while other students snickered at the phoenix. They wouldn't snicker if the fall had killed him and he had come back to life in a big pile of ashes. And now he felt weird for hoping to die.

"Are you okay?" Josie Saltzman's big brown eyes met Landon's as she bent down to check on him.

A scoff came from close by. "If he broke his nose it would be an improvement," Lizzie said, cocking her head to the side. Then she wrinkled her nose. "Nope. Then he'd look like a mall pug dog Mom said we couldn't have when we were five. Now, get up, Kerb, we have classes."

Forcing himself to stand up, Landon brushed himself and made himself move in the direction of the class-holding part of the school. But he found himself looking back at the place where the rug used to be. "There was a rug there? Right?" he asked Josie.

Jo looked at the bottom of the staircase. "Yes. Last night a small fire burned it. It should be replaced by tomorrow."

"Yeah?" Landon gulped and turned his head back around. He needed to focus on classes.

~0~

Later that day, Landon went into the kitchen. He and Jo were working on a project lately. And he wanted to surprise her with a cake. Of course he couldn't bake to save his life, but it was the thought that counted. He would have asked Rafe to help him with the task, but Rafe was still on all fours. Hopefully, Ric would find a witch to help his brother, soon.

With a sigh, Landon decided that if the cake wasn't any good he'd find out if Rafe liked it. If the wolf would not touch it, then Landon's cake making days were numbered.

With that in mind, Landon set out putting the cake together. He turned on a timer and began to pre-heat the oven. Turning around, he found the flour bag was on the wrong side of the counter. The milk toppled even though he was three feet from it. An egg suddenly splattered the wall. Then the flour combusted and Landon began to cough as a white cloud with a face made him fall on his ass and back away.

"What in the hell are you trying to do, Landon?" MG called, speeding into the kitchen.

"FIRE!" Kaleb cried, coming in with an extinguisher and opening the oven. Flames emitted and Kaleb put an end to them. "Landon, are you our little fire bug?" he demanded, his dark eyes pinning Landon to the spot.

Landon shook his head. "No! I swear, it wasn't me! I don't know what is going on around here!"

"Well, something is," Kaleb said, setting the extinguisher down on the counter. "What were you doing? Making a science experiment?"

"Making a cake, for Josie," Landon explained.

"Looks like you were making a mess for Jo," MG retorted with a grin. Then he lifted a finger. "Is that a word?"

Getting up, Landon made his way over to the egg splatter with MG and Kaleb. Together, they examined the message. "Looks like V, zero, R, F to me," Landon said.

"No, man!" MG shook his head. "No. That's not a V. See? It's all squiggly. Egg doesn't seem to be the best substance to write in for our mystery message maker. But it looks like an H. See. It's kinda jagged, but the line through here," MG drew a line, going down to the left and drooping downward. And the two vertical lines, they look like they're coming together, but they don't. See? There's a little space." He pointed out the tenth of a space that only a vamp could see well.

"We've got an H and a zero?" Kaleb folded his arms over his chest.

"I'd like to buy a vowel, Pat," Lizzie said. Josie came with her twin into the room and they stood close to the egg message. "Ew! Who writes in this?"

"H and O," MG said, ignoring Lizzie for once.

"R and F?" Landon stated, not sure of his original comment now. "Okay. What looks like an R?" He looked at the others.

Josie pursed her lips. "P?"

"For Penelope?" Lizzie sighed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"H. O. P… F?" Landon thought about that one and then slapped himself in the head before blurting. "I'm an idiot!"

"Tell us something we don't know," Lizzie retorted and then she gave Landon a big smile. "Like you're transferring, to Alaska."

"Ha-ha!" Landon shook his head before looking at Jo. "It's Hope!" Josie looked confused. "The message. The person wants us to know they want hope! So, now we just need to figure out how to help them find some hope!"

"Oh, good! Now, we're a church?" Lizzie cried. "I mean, I know, we're already delivering hope to the hopeless by giving orphans with horrible hair a home, but we can't go around helping whoever, or whatever this is that's making a mess of our kitchen, can we?" she demanded. She placed her hand on her hip and looked at the others.

Jo looked at the egg message. "Maybe they don't want us to give them hope, maybe they want to give us hope?" She ventured, not looking too sure. "Lizzie, what if it's a witch who is trying to help with The Merge?" Her eyes widened as she spoke and Lizzie's eyes began to gleam.

"Maybe it's from Mom!" Lizzie cried, becoming excited. "We should go upstairs and call her!"

Together, the twins made their way out of the kitchen.

Puffing out a breath, Landon looked at the mess. "Well, I guess I have a mess to clean up…"

Kaleb held up his hands. "Didn't make it, not cleaning it up." He sped out of the kitchen.

"Thanks," Landon muttered.

MG opened a drawer and pulled out a cloth. "Don't worry. I'm still here."

"You think that Jo was right?" Landon asked. He didn't feel sure about Jo's theory. It felt like there was more to the story. Or maybe he was as wrong about his hunch as he'd been about what the message actually said.

~0~

Two uneventful days went by. Jo did tell Landon that her mother was not behind their egg message though. Which meant that Landon was right. If only he knew what being right meant.

On Thursday Landon woke up with a spell book on top of his face. "Esther Mikaelson?" he muttered as he pushed the book onto the floor and rubbed his eyes.

For some reason Landon felt the urge to do a history paper on the notorious Klaus Mikaelson and that involved learning about his mother. How he'd managed to fall asleep, with the guy's mom's spell book on top of Landon's face; he could not dream of telling anyone.

Getting up, Landon tripped over his guitar and laid on his back for several painful minutes. "Hey, are you okay?" Jo called from the doorway.

Landon shook his head. "Loss of dignity because I'm in my boxers…check. Waking up with an ancient witch's book on my face…check. Not knowing who the hell is pissed at me this time…triple check."

Jo came into the room and closed the door. She went over to sit down on Rafe's old bed. "Last night I found a spell that might help Rafe."

"Great!" Pausing, Landon sat up and frowned. "It is great?"

Jo nodded but was not smiling. "I was in the library. Making notes for a spell to try to learn more about The Merge from my dead ancestors. I got up and went into the stacks. When I came back out, poof: book, open to the page with the spell I need." Shaking her head, Jo shrugged. "It feels kind of off to me."

"So, what do you think we're got? Some kind of Ghost who wants to help us? Or something that wants to pretend to be our 'hope,' before tearing us all apart in our beds?" Frowning, Landon felt like he might have just given their new friend or foe something to contemplate.

Getting up, Landon meant to grab his pillow and move it in front of his boxers when his guitar moved and he fell on the floor, again. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry I accused you of being a bad person—thing—whatever you are!" Landon held up his hands. "Just stop knocking me down."

Nothing new happened as Landon and Jo waited. Getting to his feet, Landon snatched a pillow and then sat down. "So, we can talk this through after classes."

"Whole gang?" Jo asked.

"Maybe later," Landon said.

~0~

After classes were done, Jo and Landon went outside in search of Rafael. "Hey, Rafe, please don't attack us! We're not Milkbones!" Landon called, his hands held outward.

Rafe padded over to them and emitted a low snarl. "Now!" Landon called to Jo who began to recite the spell.

Rafe let out another snarl and made for Jo. Landon threw himself at his brother. He pondered whether or not his Phoenix-healing-ability would work if Rafe tore an arm off. It was cool, Landon would not mind having a disability. Being dead on the other hand….

And then Landon was rolling around with his human brother. "Rafe!" Landon cried as Rafe let out another snarl. "Man, you're you!"

Rafe blinked and shook his head. "Lan…d…on?" His voice still came out a bit gruff, not quite human, but they would get there.

"Hey!" Landon felt like crying. "Hey, man."

"Rafe!" Jo let out a happy cry and came to hug Rafael. "Hi!" She was crying as she looked up at Rafael. "We've missed you. A lot!"

"Me…too," Rafe said and smiled.

Landon and Jo helped Rafe inside the school, because he was not used to walking around on two feet anymore. "Everyone, Rafe's human!" Landon shouted.

Others began to run down the halls and then down the stairs. "Rafael!" a cheer rang out from the wolves. A lot of the vamps were less impressed, except for Roman, who seemed pleased to see Rafe as a human. Lizzie came down the stairs and pushed several others out of the way. "Rafe!" she cried, throwing herself at him like they'd been a couple when he turned.

Landon eyed Jo who shook her head. Nope. This would not end well.

~0~

A party was held in honor of Rafe's coming back. The pack was out, howling and getting wasted while their pack-masters—because Jed—had returned to top of the pack in Rafe's absence were talking through logistics.

"It is so good to have the group whole again," Lizzie said, placing her head on her knees. She seemed giddy with Rafe's reappearance. "Aren't you all so happy he's back?"

"Yes," MG said. He sat down next to Lizzie and looked at Rafe. "It's good to have our people together, again."

Lizzie leaned her head on a surprised-looking MG's shoulder. "I never want this night to end."

"Me either," MG said.

Fireworks went off and everyone looked at them. "H!" They popped. "O!" "P!" "E!"

"Damn! Now, they're messing with the fireworks. Those were supposed to spell Rafe." Kaleb folded his arms over his chest.

"They're not done," Lizzie cried, her mouth opening in a gasp of shock and then she gulped when a new word was spelled. "Who the hell is Hope Mikaelson?"

Landon looked up as the word Mikaelson faded away. He needed to take a good, long look at that spellbook.

_**To Be Continued…**_

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. Raf is about to get the Klaus Mikaelson treatment and an Original sister makes an appearance. On with the show…**

**Ghost of Memories Past: Part II**

The wolf felt the full moon coming on. He paced inside his cell. Every night he grew restless as twilight neared. Then the human man would come down to shoot the wolf and the wolf would sleep. He would wake in the woods and hunt, roam his territory and wait for his fellow wolves to come out because the moon glowed roundly above their heads.

"Well. Well," a voice sounded nearby and the wolf's head turned in that direction. The wolf did not really understand what sounds the man made. But he'd become accustomed to this man's visits in the woods. "Are you waiting for her return?"

Cocking his head, the wolf gave the man a confused look, blinking. The man bent down and smirked at the wolf. "Hope will come home. Soon, Rafael. Just you wait."

The wolf pondered the name Rafael. It meant something, deep with him and he knew that he should respond so he let out a long, low howl.

"Raf!" a new voice called out. "I brought you some food. Please, don't bite me, man," Landon called as he appeared.

The man who spoke to Rafael stood up and leaned against a tree. "Your brother, he know nothing. Not sure what my darling daughter sees in him. Must be the 'good.' Some sort of light about the boy. He's rather lucky I've been so kind. Ordinarily I would have ripped out his spleen for not heeding my communications. Alas, Hope would be distraught. None of this means anything if she's in pain."

Rafael continued to listen to the human drone on but little of it mattered to him. Landon opened a package and Rafael began to pant at the sight of the steak.

"Here, Raf." Landon tossed the package toward Rafael.

"He's not your bloody pet. Humans—birds—whatever he is, the boy has little respect for the wild creatures we are, Rafael. Shall I teach him a lesson?" the man asked, smirking at Rafael.

Rafael busily chewed the raw steak, not noticing the man picking up a heavy stick and then throwing it at Landon's head.

"Ow!" Landon shouted.

Rafael's head lifted and he snarled at the man. The man grinned, clapping his hands together in glee as Landon placed a hand to his head and it came back bloody. His mouth opened and his eyes rounded at the sight. "Shit," he groaned and then Rafael sniffed at the air and Landon shook his head at Rafael. "Raf, don't!"

But Rafael couldn't help it. The smell of blood in the air was too much for him. He went running at the boy and only stopped when a girl appeared in front of him and held out a hand. She said something in a language that he did not think he knew in his human form.

"Jo!" Landon cried. "Thanks!"

Raf whimpered and placed his paws over his head.

Landon pushed himself to his feet. "But you know I could handle this, right?"

"Like you handle all of your problems, by getting kidnapped, turned into something even less useful—like an empty cardboard box—or killed. Because once we've seen you rise from the ashes once, it just gets rerun-y," Lizzie said, glancing at her nails. "Where's the flair in that?"

"That's what we have you for, Lizzie," Landon quipped.

"She's here," Josie stated solemnly.

"Who?" Landon asked, his eyes going back to Raf.

The stick smacked Landon on the non-wounded side of his head. "Ouch!" He shouted, "Dude, stop!"

The stick moved to smack Landon a third time when Jo swept a hand and the man slammed into the tree and the stick fell to the ground. "You stop picking on him now," Josie said, her eyes dark with fury. "We're working on solving your little mystery."

Turning to Raf, Josie smiled. "We're coming back soon."

Raf turned to look for the steak. When he looked up, he found the others were gone but the strange man remained. "Witches. Always ruining my plans," the man muttered.

~0~

Near dawn a woman came into the woods. Raf laid on his belly. He'd killed a rabbit. The steak tasted good, but he enjoyed hunting his meals. Now, he wanted to sleep, but the man would not stop talking. Groaning, Raf tried to bury his head under his paws.

"Ah, now here is a development worth staying awake for my friend," the man said. "Sister."

The woman came over to Raf with little fear even when he rose and snarled at her. When she knelt down, he sniffed at her, smelling a fellow wolf, who was not part of his pack, he felt confused and let out another, low snarl.

"Shush," the woman said. She held out her hand and he sniffed at something that made him feel drowsy. Then his eyes closed and he fell asleep, dreaming of a female wolf who did not exist.

~0~

Upon waking, Rafael let out a long yawn and then he ran a hand over his eyes and through his hair. "Hello, Rafael," an unfamiliar husky voice said.

"Hello?" Rafael thought he said back.

"What?" Lizzie cried.

Rafael opened his eyes and blinked rapidly at everyone who stood over him. "What the hell?" he thought he said. Then he looked down and noted that he was in bed. In his old dorm room. Someone had dressed him. "What is going on? How am I human?"

"What is he saying?" Lizzie begged someone to tell her.

Landon sat down on the side of the bed. "Raf, you've been in wolf form for months. I think you're going to have to work on talking human, again. Right now, you kind of sound like you're growling and barking at us."

"I'm what?" Rafael realized he had just yapped at them. Taking a long breath, he concentrated. "How am I… me?"

"With a little magic," the woman Rafael did not know, said. "Hello. My name is Freya Mikaelson." She offered him a warm smile. "I'm here to help you."

"Lan?" Rafael looked to his brother for help.

Landon sighed. "Okay. Here's a short, sweet version. Someone did a spell on you. We think it's someone named Hope Mikaelson. But there is no record of her existence. So, we don't really know who, or what she is. Or even where she is. That's why we went to Ric."

Alaric nodded at Rafael and Rafael offered a weak smile before returning his attention to Landon's story. "Ric put us in touch with Freya. She's one of the sisters of Klaus Mikaelson. She's also a very powerful witch and is a great source for all things Mikaelson. Other than Alaric, who literally wrote the book on Klaus Mikaelson—"

"A very biased biography," Freya pointed out, shooting a dark look Alaric's way.

Alaric shook his head. "It's not my fault that your brother hurt so many people—" he stopped talking when a student came running into the room.

"Mister Saltzman, the library is on fire!" the student cried.

"Shit!" Ric cried. "Sorry. Got to go."

"It's the books on Klaus Mikaelson." The student could be heard saying on the way down the hall.

"So much for the bad biography," Kaleb snickered. "Man, I loved those stories."

"They're not the only copies," Landon said.

Josie opened her bag and pulled out a flash drive. "I downloaded these, in case something happened to the old ones."

"All you needed to know I could have told you," Freya said.

A ball went flying through the window and everyone's eyes went to it. "Brother," Freya sighed. "You can calm yourself."

"Brother?" Rafael said, his brows coming together. Something began to come together. Something from his time when he was a werewolf, but he could not unlock the memory now that he was human again. And he did not feel like changing now that he could walk on two legs.

"Klaus Mikaelson," MG said, he clapped his hands together and grinned. "Our school has its first, official haunting. And the ghost is the baddest vamp who ever lived!"

"Oh, goody, looks like someone has a fan club," Lizzie looked disgusted and rolled her eyes.

MG's happiness fell two full notches. "He's pretty cool. Like a super villain. A Lex Luthor."

"I'm so happy," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. "Can we figure out how to get rid of him? I don't like having to hang out with Frodo. He's ruining my social life."

"No one asked you to," Landon snapped.

Lizzie gaped at him. "That is so not true. You know that Jo and I need to spend time together. We have our own drama. There is a Merge coming up—"

"In a little over five years from now. And our Hope Mikaelson problem seem a little more pressing," Landon retorted.

"Who is Hope Mikaelson?" Rafael asked them. Then his bed flew upward and he and Landon landed on the floor. "What was that?" Rafael demanded. He crouched on the floor, unconsciously curling his fingers into claws and letting out a growl.

"Klaus," Freya sighed. "Brother, I am working on finding out who this person is. Please, be patient."

Nothing else happened. Inhaling, Freya nodded. "I will consult with my siblings. Perhaps they know something that I do not. In the meantime, you should search your school. Maybe the mystery lies here. Or perhaps in the town. This is where many of my siblings were born."

"Thank you, Freya," Josie said. "I'll walk you out."

Rafael looked at Landon. "How long has this ghost guy been hassling you?"

"Oh, well, for—"

The calendar on the wall went flying and then Rafael's phone rang. "Why am I getting a call?" Rafael asked, his eyes on his phone. "Landon, have you been paying my phone bill while I was in wolf-mode?"

Landon nodded. "Yup." Rafael and Landon got up. Landon looked at the calendar and Rafael picked up his phone. He felt afraid to touch it. What if the ghost was going to talk to him? What if this Klaus Mikaelson person tried to brain-wash Rafael into doing something awful with some kind of sleeper code word?

One way to find out. Swiping the screen, Rafael placed the phone to his ear and listened. Nothing came through the line. "Hello?" Rafael said. He could hear nothing at all. Closing his eyes, he strained his ears.

"Hey. Someone poked a hole in his date!" Landon pointed at a date where it looked like someone had stabbed their finger through it.

"Shush!" Rafael placed his fingers to his lips as he tried to listen to the silence, trying to find a clue in the nothing when a loud howl came through the line and he dropped the phone to the floor. "Shit!"

"What was that?" Landon demanded. He looked at the phone like it might bite him. Hell, it might. "What happened, Rafe?"

"Alpha. When an alpha loses it cub, it howls…like that..." Rafael looked at Landon and Landon clapped Rafael on the shoulder.

"Hope's Klaus' cub!" Landon cried. "She's his daughter!" Then he frowned. "But he was a vampire. Vampires can't have kids. Can they?"

"Nope," Kaleb said. "I hope not." He frowned deeply. "I've got some girls to call." He hurried away.

MG sighed. "I don't."

Landon seemed overly excited. "Klaus wants me to find his daughter. But why would he keep picking on me? What do I have to do with his daughter?"

A pencil went flying and MG caught it before it could stab Landon in the eyeball. Rafael, Landon and MG exchanged a long look. "Seems like maybe you're the boyfriend?" MG ventured. "'Cause this vamp has it in for you."

"Great. So, I'm dating a super villain's daughter. It's times like this I'm happy I don't have a mom and dad to bring a girl home to," Landon said.

Rafael grinned at his brother. "But you've got a brother. She better be good to you, Landon."

Then a book smacked Rafael in the back of the head. "And, I guess, you should be good to her." A low chuckle filled the room like it came from the walls and the werewolf, the phoenix and the vampire decided to leave the room. "So, what do we do now?" Rafael asked.

Landon shrugged. "I guess we try to figure out where Hope went to."

This did seem like the most logical thing to do. Hopefully they would not regret bringing a girl none of them remembered back to their world, and the dad would stop plotting against them.

**To Be Continued…**

**Answers to guest reviews:**

**Guest: I'm happy you enjoyed. Thank you for reading and I hope you like part II, too! :)**

**Guest: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy part II, too! :)**

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely reader. It's Josie's turn to be reminded of why she should be invested in the Bring Hope Home Project and we also have another Mikaelson guest appearance! On with the show…**

**Ghost of Memories Past: Part III**

Choking, Josie Saltzman was choking. Dirt poured into her mouth, her nose and she dug at it, shrieking, crying, trying, with all her might, to free herself. Her mother had just turned into the latest monster to wreak havoc on the Salvatore Boarding School but Jo knew one thing only: She was dying. And she did not want to be.

Then someone found her. MG. Penelope. Yes, Jo was safe. But how had they found her? Her necklace? Yes. A birthday present from someone… Jo wracked her memory to find out the name of the person who had given her the lifesaving item…

"Jo! Jo!" Lizzie's voice. No. Lizzie wasn't there that night. And still her sister's voice continued on. "Jo, wake up!"

"Huh?" Josie's eyes opened and came face-to-face with Lizzie's wide blue eyes. Her twin had hold of Jo by both shoulders and shook her, with less a gentle shake and more of a bone-rattling jerk. "Lizzie, I'm awake! Stop!"

"Oh, sorry," Lizzie offered a quick, apologetic smile before she backed off and placed both hands on her hips. "What were you dreaming about? Landon? You seemed freaked."

Jo sat up and shook her dark locks. "No," she replied, pushing curls behind her ears. "No. I was dreaming about the night that Mom… Jo… our birthday—"

Lizzie held up a palm. "Enough said. If I ever have to think about the night of Zombie Dearest I am going to projectile vomit a 1980s ballad." Scoffing, Lizzie turned her back on her sister, her arms folded over her chest. "Don't worry, sister, I have got our seventeenth birthday planned out. It will be monster-free and I will be with you ninety percent of the time."

"Ninety? That sounds pretty specific," Jo's brows rose. "And what will you be doing the other ten percent? Trying to dominate our soiree?"

Letting out a laugh, Lizzie whirled on her heel. "No. Jo. I will be making sure that this Hope Mikaelson person does not ruin it for the rest of us. Obviously her father was the big bad of his time. His daughter must have ended up in the Mali pit to rule over the other hideous creatures who have worked so hard to ruin our lives thus far! So, whatever crap her daddy has in store for us; let him bring it on!"

Sighing, Jo rolled her eyes and she reached over to her nightstand. Her fingers clutched at nothing. "Where is my necklace?" she demanded, her face turning to take in the empty space where her necklace used to reside when she wasn't wearing it. Fear and panic embraced her in a freezing hug.

Frowning, Lizzie walked over to the nightstand. "Okay. That is weird."

Scrambling off her bed, Jo knelt on the floor and looked on the floor. Together the twins upended the bed to find the necklace but it was not there. "No! Please! I need it!" Jo's fingers went into her hair. She could feel the dirt in her nose and more spilling into her open mouth.

"Hey! Hey!" Lizzie caught Jo by the shoulders and pushed her sister down on the bed. "It's okay. Take slow, even breaths." Lizzie demonstrated by inhaling and exhaling with exaggerated effort.

Jo shook her head. "It's not working, Lizzie. Please, I have to find the necklace!"

"Okay, Jackass Mikaelson! Give her back the necklace!" Lizzie shouted, glowering around the room. "I know you're the one who took it! It's okay to screw with Mop Head. But no one comes after Jo!"

Nothing happened and Lizzie let out a groan. "That's fine. We're going to find some way to make you corporeal and kick your ass!" Taking hold of Jo's hand, Lizzie stalked to the door and jerked it open.

The twins made it down the hallway and to the library. "What are we doing in here?" Jo asked.

"Research," Lizzie snapped.

"Oh," Jo nodded.

Landon sat at a table, gnawing at the end of a pencil and Rafael sat beside him. He looked from an open book to Landon who busily made notes.

"Frodo! Have you seen Jo's necklace?" Lizzie demanded, slapping her hands on the table.

"Good morning to you, too, Lizzie," Rafael offered the twins a smile before attempting to scratch his ear with his foot, blushing and choosing his hand to do the job.

Landon held up a finger. "Just one more second…" Then he set his pencil down and looked from Lizzie to Jo with a deep frown. "Your necklace is missing?" he asked. His notebook went flying and fell on the floor. "Thanks, Klaus," he groaned, moving to get the notebook when his chair came out from under him and he fell on the floor. "Come on! What did I ever do to you?"

"Wait! Does anyone else see that?" Jo asked. She pointed a finger at Landon's pencil. It moved in a jerky fashion. Almost rising and then falling to the tabletop.

"Oh, good. Now he's going to write us another note. And this time it won't leave the kitchen smelling like yesterday's omelet," Lizzie said, folding her arms over her chest. A book came flying out of the shelf and almost hit her but Jo sent it flying with a wave of her hand.

"Ouch!" Landon groaned because Jo had sent the book flying his way. He stood up, rubbing the back of his hand. "Okay. This is weird."

"What's weird?" Jo asked, coming around the table to peer at the book.

"This is about werewolves." Landon held up the book so that Rafael and Lizzie could get a better look.

"What does a werewolf want with werewolves?" Lizzie asked. "Do we want someone to get bitten?"

"Klaus Mikaelson was a werewolf," Landon explained. "A hybrid of a vampire and a werewolf. Your dad was kind of obsessed with him." His eyes were on the book so he did not see the nasty look that Lizzie was giving him.

Jo decided to jump in before Lizzie could rip Landon a new one. "So, he wants us to learn more about werewolves?" she prompted, looking at Lizzie.

Lizzie sighed. "Looks like you don't need me for this one." She moved to leave when a chair banged into the back of her knees and pushed up to the table. "Ow! And what in the hell?" she sneered at the air. "You could have just said something, you bully!"

Landon's brows shot upward when the book opened and began to flip pages, rapidly. "Your necklace," he said.

Jo felt relieved when Landon took the necklace out. He laid the book down and then placed the necklace around her neck. She placed a fond hand over the trinket before looking at the book. "What are we looking at?" she asked them.

"Looks like a group of wolves from the New Orleans pack. The Labonairs." Rafael read off the pack alphas name before looking at Landon. "Mean anything to you? In your research?"

"No…" Landon shook his head. He folded his arms over his chest. "But maybe it's a clue. Maybe they have something to do with Hope."

"You're obsessed with Hope Mikaelson," Lizzie told Landon.

Landon rolled his eyes. "Well, her father is trying to torture me. She's my girlfriend. Nope, got no reason to care, do I?" He glowered at Lizzie.

"Let's not fight," Jo said. "We need to find out more about this pack and why they're important to the story."

~0~

For the next three hours, the group poured over the stories of the extinct werewolf pack from New Orleans. "No connection," Lizzie stated. "I am going to get us coffee. Then I guess we should get to class. Hate to disappoint my fan base."

Jo kept her eyes on the page in front of her. "There's something we're not getting here. See, Hayley Marshall was the last of the Labonairs. She died in New Orleans. Not that long before Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson. There must be a connection. I mean, why would a very old, very deadly vampire family want a wolf in their home?"

"Who said they did?" Rafael retorted. "Maybe she was being used against the Crescents. Isn't the kind of crap Klaus used to pull? You know, to show dominance over everyone. Like Jed used to do."

MG came into the room. He seemed excited about something. "Guys, we have huge news. This place is about to blow up!" The others stared at him, wide-eyed. "Not literally! Come on! You'll never believe who is here!"

Jo got up, followed by Landon and Rafael. They found what MG was so excited by in the foyer.

"Mrs. Gerard. Mr. Gerard. We are so pleased to welcome you to our school. Might I interest you in a tour? A cup of a tea?" Their new headmaster inquired, all smiles.

"No. Thank you!" the blonde woman said. Her eyes searched the crowd that was forming. "Which one of you is Landon Kirby?" she demanded.

Landon looked to Jo. Frowning, Jo felt magic at her fingertips. They were not taking Landon without a fight. "And who are you?" Lizzie came around the corner with a tray of coffees. "Because if you're monsters, sorry, the hobbit is not for sale."

The man chuckled and rubbed his lower lip before he looked to the woman. "We're not monsters in the sense you're talking about. You must be Caroline Forbes' daughter… Lizzie. And Josie." His eyes flicked to Josie who did not like how he looked at them.

Lizzie's eyes grew a little bigger but now she looked like she was ready to throw the coffee and begin to fight the two newcomers.

"I am Rebekah Mikaelson!" Rebekah stated, looking at everyone and the kids stood still. "Charmed, I'm sure." She smirked for a moment before she looked at her companion. "Gerard, actually. This is Marcel, my husband. We heard you were being haunted by my pain in the arse of a brother. Shall we continue this discussion somewhere, a little more private?"

Jo looked to Landon and then to Lizzie and Rafael. Yes. This could be the development they needed to break the case. She began to smile, fingering her necklace.

~0~

Ten minutes later, the group assembled in an empty dorm room. Jo wasn't sure why her father didn't want them there but the ghost of Klaus kept kicking Landon until they ended up there. Landon took a seat on the edge of the only bed in the room and rubbed the back of his calf.

"I don't know why my brother would take such a special interest in a human –" Rebekah began when Landon cut in.

"Phoenix. I'm a phoenix. It sounds much cooler than it is," Landon said, his voice trailing off when Rebekah gave him a dark look. Apparently she was not used to be cut off.

"I do apologize," Rebekah snapped, tossing her hair over her shoulder and then looking at the others. "What have you figured out thus far?"

"Not much," Jo offered. "Other than there is a girl. We think her name is Hope Mikaelson. And we think she might have been connected to a werewolf named Hayley Marshall."

Marcel looked to Rebekah. Rebekah nodded. "Yes. I have been in contact with my sister, Freya, and our brother, Kol, since Freya came here. I believe that there might be a connection between the two as well. There are holes in my memories. And baby bits in my home. I can't recall where they came from. Now, if Nik could just be a dear and point us in the right direction… Nik!" she shouted, losing what seemed like her limited amount of patience.

An answer came when the window blew open and everyone's eyes went to it. "There's a window. Of Hope?" Marcel said, looking at Rebekah.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "That is preposterous."

"Alright. Tell us what you do remember," Rebekah said.

The group shook their heads. Then Jo took hold of her necklace between her thumb and forefinger. "Have you seen this before?"

"Yes. It used to belong to my mother," Rebekah said, eying the necklace. "How did you get it?"

"I don't know," Josie said. "It was a birthday present."

"Wait!" Marcel said. "What does it do?"

"Make quiet things heard," Jo said. She met the vampire's eyes. They seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Klaus," Marcel said, gently taking the necklace off of Josie. "You want to talk to us?"

The necklace appeared to waver in the air before they heard an unfamiliar voice. "About bloody time," it said.

"Nik," Rebekah cried and Josie saw tears in the vampire's eyes.

"Yes, sister. It is good to see you again," Klaus Mikaelson said. "Now, enough with the tears, love. I need you to help me find my daughter."

"So, Hope is your kid?" Landon asked. This earned him a smack upside the head. "I take that as a: Yes!" Landon groaned, rubbing his head. "Would you, please, stop attacking me now!"

Klaus let out a low chuckle. "If you will bring my daughter home."

"Right," Landon replied. "How do we do that?"

"You have to re-open Malivore. And to do that you will need a witch, a vampire, and a werewolf."

The silence in the room was palpable. "You want to re-open Malivore? No way in hell!" Lizzie shook her head in disgust. "We almost died, multiple times! Sorry you lost your kid, but this is a big: No! Jo, we're out! Good-bye. It was nice to meet any of you!"

Stalking to the door, Lizzie looked back to see that Jo still stood with the others. "Jo? You're not seriously planning on helping them, are you?"

Jo straightened up. "Yes, I am," she replied. She knew in her gut this was the right thing to do. Hope had helped save her life. Jo needed to repay the favor.

"Then you're on your own," Lizzie opened the door and left.

Jo felt her heart plummet. She really did not want to go up against Malivore without her twin by her side. She looked at the others. "I guess I'm your witch," she told the group, hoping she would be enough, knowing she would have to be.

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing. **

**Answer to guest review:**

**PARTHA LAHIRI: Thank you for reviewing. I hope you enjoyed the third part, and will tune in for Part IV, the final chapter of this short fic. **

**Peace,**

**-J**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. This is the final part with more guest appearances, a big "Hello," and a "Good-bye." On with the show…**

**Ghost of Memories Past: Part IV**

_Unbelievable_, Lizzie Saltzman thought with a shake of her head. She could not wrap her mind around the appearance of the Mikaelson Ghost from Hell, followed by everyone she cared about deciding to go full-on Team Mikaelson. Honestly, she felt more than a prick of jealousy for a girl she'd never—and didn't really want—to meet.

Stomping down the stairs, Lizzie was intent on getting out of the school when someone came through the door. A smirk came to Lizzie's lips. Oh, God. A hot new guy to distract her. "Hi there, are you lost?" she asked coyly.

Then a shorter woman came in behind him and gave Lizzie a narrow-eyed look. "We're looking for Landon Kirby," she told Lizzie. "Do you know where he is?"

"Straight and to the point," Lizzie said. All her earlier interest in the woman's companion quickly dissolved as Lizzie realized he must be part of the Mikaelson crew. "They're right upstairs. He's the one who looks most like a character from the _Lord_ _of_ _the_ _Rings_ _Trilogy_. If you'll excuse me. I have a life to live."

Brushing past the couple, Lizzie headed out the front door and made her way toward the gate. She would go into town until this little disaster-in-the-making resolved itself.

With purpose, Lizzie made her way toward the gate until a voice stopped her. "Elizabeth!" it called.

"Are you kidding me?" Lizzie snarled, whirling on her heel to come face-to-face with…empty air. "Go away, Casper the Unfriendly Ghost! Go haunt your girl's sorry excuse for human parts." Smirking, Lizzie was about to turn her back when what felt like a hand curled around her wrist. "Ew! Keep your elderly ghost mitts to yourself!" she cried, trying to free herself. For someone who lacked shape, Klaus had one powerful grip.

"Elizabeth Saltzman, I need your help," the voice said quietly.

Sighing, Lizzie felt her fury sliding off. Something about the accent. Something about the gentleness of the tone. Did her mom ever like this guy back? "Give me five reasons why. And maybe I'll think about it."

"She is your friend. She helps this school. Without her, your sister, you and your dear father would be dead, more than a million times over. I will stop haunting all of you–"

"You got me at ending the Haunting of Salvatore School." Lizzie beamed. "Okay… Klaus. Where do we begin?"

"I need to show you something," Klaus told Lizzie.

"Right. And that never ended with the pretty, smart blonde girl without a head!" Lizzie snapped, watching where she thought Klaus might be, but having an eerie feeling he might be closer.

"No, It will not. Not if you follow my instructions," Klaus replied.

Lizzie felt there was a veiled threat in there, somewhere, but she decided to play along.

~0~

"We're in my room. Why?" Lizzie demanded, hands on her hips.

"Here." Her closet opened and a white box came floating out. It came to lay down on her bed and then the cover came off.

"That's my mom's dress. How is that special? Other than sentimental reasons?" Lizzie asked, eyeing the dress. She remembered when Dana's mom showed up and she could not wear the dress. Neither did Josie. Which was odd…because it would have made sense for Jo to wear it… Come to think of it, Lizzie could not remember who had won the Miss Mystic competition this year. Maybe it was because she could not compete. Then why did Jo not win?

"Lizzie!" Klaus snapped.

Lizzie's eyes went to the dress which was now floating through the air. "Sorry."

"Hope wore this. For the competition. You helped her." Klaus said. "I also choose this dress. For your mother."

"He did," A new voice sounded from behind them and Lizzie spun around. A smile came to the lips of Caroline Forbes. "Hello, Klaus."

"Caroline," Klaus greeted her mother.

Lizzie felt tears pooling in her eyes. "Mom!" She raced over and threw herself into her mother's arms. "You will never believe who is haunting the school: Klaus Mikaelson!"

Caroline nodded, brushing Lizzie's hair behind her ears. "I know, honey, which is why I booked the first flight home after Rebekah called me with the news." She pulled back to look at the ghost of creepy things past. "So, Klaus, what has brought you here to haunt my kids?"

"Hope," Klaus replied. "My daughter."

"Since when do you have a daughter. And why am I just hearing about it?" Caroline replied.

Klaus gave a ghostly sigh. "Perhaps your other daughter, Josie's, present from her beloved, can shed some light on all of this…"

"What?" Lizzie looked at her mother.

Caroline also looked confused.

~0~

A solid hour later, the group had reassembled inside the library. Alaric had come to join them. Now there were two Original vampires. One Original adjacent vamp, one Original adjacent witch. MG. Kaleb. Landon. Raf. Jo. Lizzie. Their mom. And Klaus freakin' Mikaelson. All gathered at a table.

"So, it looks like we all know Hope. Some us better than others," Jo announced with a smile. She looked at Landon. And she's Lizzie's best friend. But we didn't always get along. According to Penelope.

"Because she's such a credible source of information," Lizzie scoffed.

MG frowned. "Why would she lie? Pen's long gone. She doesn't have an ulterior motive here."

"But it doesn't make sense!" Lizzie cried, throwing her arms up in the air. "Why would none of us remember her, if she were such a big part of our lives?"

"Because my mom ended up in Malivore and no one remembered her either," Landon explained. "It wipes our memories."

"How do we get them back?" Jo asked. Her eyes were on where they thought Klaus was.

"Thank you for asking, Josette," Klaus replied. "I have had time to ponder this and I believe Davina might be able to help us on that front."

"I will?" Davina looked less certain about Klaus' plan than he seemed if his tone of voice was anything to tell them. "In the meantime, I would wish for one of you to find a way to be able to see me."

"You mean hitch a ride in one of us?" Alaric demanded. "Not gonna happen."

"Not exactly what I meant, Alaric. Unless you'd prefer…" Klaus' voice trailed off and Lizzie rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.

"Right. And who is going to be pulling the old 'I see dead people routine?'" Lizzie asked the group. Her eyes fell on Landon. "I elect the most useless member of the team. If it doesn't work, and he dies, he'll poof back into life."

"Thanks, Lizzie," Landon retorted.

Lizzie grinned. "Don't mention it."

"It should be you," Klaus said.

Lizzie looked at the other and then found everyone was staring at her. It was only when she found that a book sat in front of her that she rolled her eyes. "Oh, no! You are not going Patrick Swayze on me! I've seen _Ghost_. This will end with you trying to kiss my mom! And that's even darker than my worst nightmares!"

"I simply want you to be able tell the others what I may not be able to say with words." Klaus told Lizzie.

"What would you not be able to say?" Lizzie shook her head.

Caroline jumped in. "Memories?"

"Yes. Love." Klaus sounded impressed with Caroline's deduction and Caroline seemed pleased, too. Gross.

Lizzie shook her head. "You should use Jo. She's stronger than I am."

"No. Lizzie. Your…weakness, your brokenness—as you are so fond of referring to it— allows you to channel a power that frightens you. Your strength is lessened by your fear of losing control. But deep within you are powers you have yet to tap into." Klaus' hands enfolded Lizzie's. "You must not fear yourself."

Inhaling, Lizzie looked to her mother and Alaric. They both looked worried. "Are you sure? Don't let him talk you into something you don't want to do," Alaric cautioned, glaring at the ghost.

Lizzie felt tears in her eyes. She always thought that her bipolar disorder was a burden and made her a burden to others. But if she could use it to manifest something good… She wanted to try. "Please, Mom!" She cried, turning her wide-eyed stare on her mother.

Caroline came over and placed her hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "Be careful. Just know we're here for you; if you feel yourself unable to control it." She pressed a gentle kiss to Lizzie's forehead.

Looking at Jo, Lizzie felt a rush. It wasn't the kind where she felt like she could conquer the universe. It felt like happiness. Joy. Maybe. Not over-the-top. But Lizzie felt good. Hopefully she would not learn to regret this.

~0~

Outside of the woods, Kol Mikaelson smudged some coal into a shape on Lizzie's forehead while she breathed in slowly. "Repeat after me." Davina watched Lizzie closely.

Nodding, Lizzie began to chant in Latin with Davina. She drew her magic from the ground and felt her fingers tingling with it. As Lizzie watched, she saw a man begin to form. He stood beside her mother. "Is that him?" she asked them.

"You tell me, darling," Kol replied.

Lizzie remembered that they could not see him. Not yet. Would she have the power to call back to their plane of existence? Is that what this spell was about? Then she forced herself to keep chanting.

Then Davina stopped. "Can you still see him?" she asked.

"Yes." Lizzie looked at Klaus. He smirked back at her. "Does he always smirk like that?"

"Yes," Caroline said with a laugh. "Where is he?"

"To your left," Lizzie said.

"Oh." Caroline turned to face Klaus. "I haven't forgotten."

"Neither have I," Klaus replied.

"Okay. Enough of that," Kol called. He got to his feet. "Nik, we have a missing child to find. Be a good man and show the girl what you remember."

"Elizabeth. It's your turn," Klaus beckoned Lizzie closer with a wave of his hand. When she came to him, he offered her his hands. "Don't worry, I won't possess you."

"You bet you won't," Lizzie retorted, rolling her eyes at him. Then he took her hands and she let out a loud cry as memories began to wash over her. She saw the birth of the vampire race. A really awkward sex scene starring Klaus and some chick that Lizzie did not know. Okay. Did not need that visual. Moving forward, she saw the woman pregnant. A frightening delivery which made her gasp in shock. That hurt. Her hand went to her own throat.

It felt like hours before Klaus released Lizzie's hand. When she opened her eyes, she found that the rest of the day had passed. Dawn was beginning to break. "How long was I gone?" she asked, looking around her.

"Half a day," Jo said. She wrapped an arm around Lizzie who felt woozy. "Here. Granola and water." She pressed the items into her twin's hands. "What did you see?" Her warm brown eyes were full of curiosity.

"Hope Mikaelson is a legend," Lizzie said around a mouthful of granola. "BTW, you've got a big crush on that girl. Sorry, Hobbit Boy!"

Landon rolled his eyes. "Did he show you how to free her?"

"Nope." Lizzie shook her head. "But he has some ideas of how we might be able to try."

"Like?" Alaric demanded. "Tell me this won't involve anyone dying."

"Not all of us," Lizzie said. Then her eyes fell on Landon. "But someone's going to have to go in, to bring her back out."

"Me?" Landon looked worried but excited at the same time.

"No way!" Rafael snapped. "Malivore wants you, Land. You can't be thinking it's okay to just jump in there! Not over some girl!"

"She's not just some girl!" Lizzie and Klaus snapped at the same time. They exchanged looks before Lizzie turned to Landon. "Time for you to put on your hero cape and ride into danger."

"Okay." Landon nodded.

"You've got to be kidding me," Rafael snapped.

"You're in love with her, too," Lizzie stated, calmly.

"I'm what?" Rafael looked to Landon.

Landon did not look too happy about this news. "Thanks, Lizzie, you think maybe you could filter, just, like, ten percent of what you've seen?"

"Nope." Lizzie smiled.

Shaking his head, Landon straightened up. "Well, I'm going to rescue a girl I don't remember. Who's going to go with me to find out if I get out alive?"

"Me," or "I will," everyone said. Lizzie just wanted to see how it turned out. She had a feeling this was either the best idea, or the worst. Time would tell.

~0~

Under ordinary circumstances it might be difficult to find the Malivore pit, however—Klaus had been able to keep an eye on it—thanks to no one noting his presence.

Klaus smirked down at the pit. "Given any other type of circumstances I would be insulted by no one noting my presence. However, this has worked in my favor." He glanced at Lizzie. She found herself smiling at the evil ghost.

Sneaking a glance at her mom, Lizzie wondered what it would have been like if she and Klaus had gotten together… Oh, well.

"Well, it looks like I'm about to jump into the one place I spent a year hiding from," Landon said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and gave Rafael and Jo a wistful look. "I'll see you soon. Maybe. I hope. No pun intended." He smiled at them. "So, I guess this is good-bye."

"You'll be right back!" Jo cried, reaching out and hugging Landon. "And if you aren't, we'll go in and find you," she promised, tears in her eyes.

Rafael shook this head. "This is the craziest thing you've ever done, man."

"I know." Landon nodded. "Don't worry about me."

Rafael crossed his arms over his chest. "That's my job, brother."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Would this never end? Landon had one job to do: Go get the girl. And sure enough, he was dragging his giant clown feet. Let's drag out the dramatic effect.

"Landon, be careful. You don't know what you'll find when you get there," Alaric warned Landon.

"But he knows his friends will have his back when he comes back with this Hope girl," Kaleb said.

MG jumped in. "And we're going to have a dope Homecoming party for you!" He grinned, his happiness contagious.

Shaking her head at her friends, Lizzie waited for Landon to jump into the damned pit already.

Just as Lizzie's last thought evaporated Klaus groaned. "Enough! Time to go! Find my daughter!" Klaus snapped. Then Lizzie let out a low chuckle as Klaus stomped over and shoved Landon into the pit before anyone else could stop him, not that they could see the ghost and this made Lizzie smirk. It felt good to know something others did not.

"Klaus!" Caroline shouted. "Lizzie, where is he?"

"To your right, Mom," Lizzie replied.

Spinning around, Caroline sent Klaus flying with a kick. "He's just a kid, you jackass!" Caroline yelled at Klaus.

Rolling his eyes, Klaus got to his feet. "I am aware, Caroline.

Caroline shook with anger, and searched for an invisible Klaus. "He could come back… Do you even think… This is so you!" Groaning, she ran her hands through her hair. "You had better hope he comes back, otherwise I am going to resurrect you, just so I can kill you again!"

"Sounds like a plan," Alaric added, his eyes on the pit.

Everyone became quiet as they waited. Not sure what to expect.

~0~

"This is boring," Kol said, echoing Lizzie's thoughts. They were sitting in various areas, waiting for something, anything to escape Mali goo. So far, no Landon. No Hope. Again, no pun intended.

As if someone had blown a drama whistle; Triad soldiers came storming in. "You do not have authority to be here!" one of them told them. They began to level guns at the group.

"Oh, look, it's a rerun of last year," Lizzie said. She reached out and Jo joined hands with her. Together, they sent the line of soldiers flying.

"Time to go!" Alaric called, waving everyone toward the exit.

"We're not leaving until the girl comes out!" Rebekah yelled at them.

"Suit yourselves. These kids are my responsibility," Alaric yelled back at her.

"So is Hope!" Klaus called to Alaric.

This gave Alaric pause.

"I'm sorry, Klaus. We have to go!" Alaric said as the soldiers began to regain their feet. "This could end with someone dead."

"You're right," Burr came out of nowhere and Lizzie felt her heart sink. She saw Jo on the floor, again. "You again. Maybe second time will work!" He shot at Jo and Lizzie could only look on in horror.

Then something amazing happened. A girl shot out of the Malivore pit. Her fingers caught the bullet, meant for Jo and sent it back toward Burr.

Lizzie gaped as the bullet hit home. No more Burr then.

"Hope?" Lizzie cried.

The girl who looked like Hope turned on Lizzie all fangs and gleaming eyes. That wasn't a good sign. Then the girl went flying toward Lizzie who did not have time to react.

"Hope, don't!" Landon called. Somehow Lizzie hadn't seen him drag his elfin ass out of the pit. "She's your friend."

Hope landed on Lizzie and searched the blonde's eyes. "Lizzie?" she questioned, her eyes turning their normal shade. "Hi."

"Hi," Lizzie replied, hugging the girl and then wrinkling her nose. "You seriously need a bath."

~0~

A party raged outside while Lizzie helped everyone remember Hope, with a little help from the girl herself. Just a little vamp-mind-meld and then everyone seemed to be on the same page.

"This is crazy," Jo breathed, blinking. She'd been the last to recover her lost memories. "I can't believe we lost you."

"I know," Hope nodded, the ghost of a smile on her lips. She looked around. "Is my dad still here?"

"Not for long," Klaus said, his smile mimicked his daughter's.

"Are you passing over?" Lizzie asked, feeling a pit in her stomach.

Klaus seemed uncertain. "I do believe I might."

"Oh," Lizzie looked at Hope. "Do you want to say 'Good-bye?'"

Nodding, Hope brushed back tears. "Yes."

"Okay. Hold my hand," Lizzie held out a hand and Hope took it. Beckoning to her mother, Lizzie waited for her mom to take her other hand.

"Hi, dad," Hope said, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hello, Hope," Klaus crossed the room and hugged his daughter. "I have missed you."

"I missed you, too! Thank you for bringing me home," Hope said, smiling.

"Anytime," Klaus kissed Hope's forehead. "Tell that boyfriend I will be back if he doesn't treat you well."

"I will," Hope said.

"I love you," Caroline blurted.

Klaus' brows rose and he let out a chuckle. "Never thought you'd say it aloud."

Caroline shrugged. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"I wish I could give you time alone," Lizzie interrupted.

Klaus shook his head. "We will see each other again. One day," he told Caroline. "Remember my promise."

Caroline nodded, her eyes swimming.

Klaus looked away. "It seems I have somewhere else to be now. Give Bekah and Kol my love." And then connection was broken.

Lizzie let out a cry of shock. "Wow!"

"He's gone?" Rebekah cried. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Caroline pronounced. She brushed her cheek and leaned her head on Lizzie's shoulder.

Feeling proud that she helped save her friends and made her Mom happy, Lizzie wrapped an arm around Caroline's shoulders. Today, she showed she was a hero, too. "So, who wants to go to that party?" she asked, squeezing her Mom's shoulder.

"We'll be down soon," Landon said, looking at Hope.

"Soon," Hope added. But the way they were looking at each other, Lizzie felt certain soon did not really mean soon.

"Okay. Everyone. Let's go. I know a sex look when I see one," Lizzie waved for everyone to leave the room. She paused in the doorway with a knowing grin. "Do everything I would do," she told them, feeling like Cupid before closing the door. Today, had been one of the best days of her life. Lizzie had hope for the future.

_**The End**_

**Answers to guest reviews: **

**Guest: I so happy that you enjoyed it! Lizzie would have come around in the end—for Jo—if Klaus hadn't nudged Lizzie into helping. Thank you for reading. It means a lot! **

**PARTHA LAHIRI: Thank you for reviewing and you anticipation of the finale. I hope I did not disappoint! **

**Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing! **

**Peace,**

**-J**


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